You should be offered a blood test, called an HbA1c test, every month. This measures the level of glucose in your blood.

It's best if the level is no more than 6.5% before you get pregnant. If you can't get your level below 6.5%, try to get it as close as possible to reduce the risk of complications for you and your baby.

If your blood glucose level is above 10%, your care team should strongly advise you not to try for a baby until it has fallen.

You should continue using contraceptives until you get your blood glucose under control. Your GP or diabetes specialist can advise you on how best to do this.

If you have type 1 diabetes, you should be given testing strips and a monitor to test your blood ketone levels, to check for diabetic ketoacidosis. You should use these if your blood glucose levels are high, or if you are vomiting or have diarrhoea.

Folic acid

Women with diabetes should take a higher dose of 5 milligrams (mg) of folic acid each day while trying to get pregnant and until they are 12 weeks pregnant. Your doctor will have to prescribe this, as 5mg tablets are not available over the counter.

Your diabetes treatment in pregnancy

If you usually take tablets to control your diabetes, you'll normally be advised to switch to insulin injections, either with or without a drug called metformin.

If you already use insulin injections to control your diabetes, you may need to switch to a different type of insulin.

If you take drugs for conditions related to your diabetes, such as high blood pressure, these may have to be changed.

It's very important to attend any appointments made for you so that your care team can monitor your condition and react to any changes that could affect your or your baby's health.

You will need to monitor your blood glucose levels more frequently during pregnancy, especially since nausea and vomiting (morning sickness) can affect them. Your GP or midwife will be able to advise you on this.

Keeping your blood glucose levels low may mean you have more low-blood-sugar (hypoglycaemic) attacks ("hypos"). These are harmless for your baby, but you and your partner need to know how to cope with them. Talk to your doctor or diabetes specialist.

Labour and birth

If you have diabetes, it's strongly recommended that you give birth in a hospital with the support of a consultant-led maternity team.

Your doctors may recommend having your labour started early (induced) because there may be an increased risk of complications for you or your baby if your pregnancy carries on for too long.

If your baby is larger than expected, your doctors might discuss your options for the delivery and may suggest an elective caesarean section.

Your blood glucose should be measured every hour during labour and birth. You may be given a drip in your arm with insulin and glucose if there are problems.

After the birth

Feed your baby as soon as possible after the birth – within 30 minutes – to help keep your baby's blood glucose at a safe level.

Your baby will have a heel prick blood test a few hours after they're born to check if their blood glucose level is too low.

If your baby's blood glucose can't be kept at a safe level, or they are having problems feeding, they may need extra care. Your baby may need to be fed through a tube or given a drip to increase their blood glucose.

When your pregnancy is over, you won't need as much insulin to control your blood glucose. You can decrease your insulin to your pre-pregnancy dose or return to the tablets you were taking before you became pregnant. Talk to your doctor about this.

You should be offered a test to check your blood glucose levels before you go home and at your 6-week postnatal check. You should also be given advice on diet and exercise.